grow

ING

Growing digital twins and interoperable data spaces for cross-organizational collaboration in special-purpose machine manufacturing.

© Christian Hermeling (Fraunhofer IWU)
Contact person

Johannes Fisel, Ph.D. (Engineering)

Senior Expert, Advanced Assembly Systems,
Bosch Research

Contact person

Nicolai Maisch

ISW, University of Stuttgart

Digital Twins for Integrated Collaboration

growING develops solutions for cross-organizational and digitally networked collaboration in the field of special-purpose machine manufacturing. The focus is on evolving digital twins, interoperable data spaces , and end-to-end engineering workflows. Digital services, simulations, and technologies for the collaborative development and commissioning of production systems are being tested using three specific use cases.


Initial Situation and Interfaces in Special-Purpose Machine Manufacturing
Growing Digital Twins for Special-Purpose Machine Manufacturing

Special-purpose machinery projects require collaboration among different companies, disciplines, and systems. growING therefore takes a “digital-first” approach, in which products, processes, and production systems are digitally planned, developed, and evaluated throughout the entire development period. This approach is based on evolving digital twins that are gradually expanded to include data, information, functional, and behavioral models.

Another focus is on cross-organizational collaboration. Depending on project needs, relevant stakeholders should be able to connect securely and in a rules-based manner via data spaces and exchange data. The approach relies on interoperable technologies and seamlessly connected workflows to reduce system silos between different disciplines and organizations.

To this end, growING is developing and testing specific digital services and technologies. These include a provider app for managing different maturity and development levels of the digital twin in collaborative engineering, communication via OPC UA PubSub, and digital twins for various simulation techniques.

Making Cross-Organizational Development Faster and More Seamless

The goal of growING is to strengthen collaboration in the custom machinery manufacturing sector across company boundaries and to support this collaboration through digital twins. This should enable projects to be planned, developed, and evaluated digitally and iteratively, thereby accelerating development processes and reducing sources of error.

A key aspect of this is the secure and needs-based networking of companies and other stakeholders via data spaces. growING pursues a "single source of truth" strategy for distributed data sources and aims to enable end-to-end workflows between participating disciplines and partners.

The approaches developed are not only examined from a conceptual standpoint but are also implemented and tested using three specific use cases. Two industrial applications are based on modular plant concepts from Robert Bosch GmbH. In addition, a testbed for collaborative manufacturing at the Institute for Control Engineering of Machine Tools and Manufacturing Systems (ISW) at the University of Stuttgart is being utilized. Furthermore, the research platform at the ARENA2036 research campus and the Stuttgart Machine Factory is being further developed into a project integration platform.


Three Digital Services

Provider App for Collaborative Engineering

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A provider app supports the management of different states of the digital twin in collaborative engineering and lays the foundation for collaboration across organizational boundaries.

Communication via OPC UA PubSub

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OPC UA PubSub is used for communication between the systems involved and is an integral part of the technological implementation of networked collaboration.

Digital Twins for Simulations

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Digital twins form the basis for various simulation techniques. As the database becomes increasingly comprehensive, the planning, sizing, and design of production systems can be analyzed at various levels of maturity.
Three Application Scenarios

Requirements Specification

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Integration of proprietary software for requirements documentation into a shared data space , and linking and updating mutual changes.

Exchange of Design Information

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General exchange of mCAD, eCAD, MES, and planning data, and integration of various design tools.

Process Overview Dashboard

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An overview of the shared processes in a comprehensive SME project and direct synchronization of the current project status.
Three Specific Use Cases

Provider App for Collaborative Engineering

+
A provider app supports the management of different states of the digital twin in collaborative engineering and lays the foundation for collaboration across organizational boundaries.

Communication via OPC UA PubSub

+
OPC UA PubSub is used for communication between the systems involved and is an integral part of the technological implementation of networked collaboration.

Digital Twins for Simulations

+
Digital twins form the basis for various simulation techniques. As the database becomes increasingly comprehensive, the planning, sizing, and design of production systems can be analyzed at various levels of maturity.

Insights+

Stories

What do the project leaders have to say? The people who are shaping the future every day?

Become a partner now

"ARENA2026 provides the project with a valuable data space infrastructure test bed. Here, we can work with partners to quickly and easily implement and test technical requirements."

Dr. Johannes Fisel, Senior Expert, Advanced Assembly Systems

Bosch Research

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Project Implementers:

The "growING" research project is funded as part of the "Federal Funding for Cloud and Edge Infrastructure and Services under the IPCEI-CIS" program of the Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs and Energy (BMWE).